Editorial: Levine's state plastic bag ban bill a good step

MARC LEVINE didn't mess around with the first piece of legislation he has co-authored in the Assembly.

Assembly Bill 158 would ban plastic bags in California by 2015. The San Rafael Democrat is one of several co-authors.

A similar ban got stuck in the state Senate in 2011. In 2010, a bag bill backed by grocers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't make it out of the state Legislature due to heavy opposition from the plastics industry.

A statewide ban on plastic bags makes far more sense than the piecemeal approach that is being applied by counties and cities.

In Marin, for example, a county ban on plastic bags at checkout stands in grocery stores went into effect in January 2012. It has made a difference, but that success has been limited because it only applies to grocery stores in unincorporated parts of the county. Grocery stores in the incorporated cities and towns are exempt from the law. Fairfax voters overwhelmingly approved a plastic bag ban in 2008, standing up to the bullying tactics of the plastic industry.

That jigsaw approach is confusing to consumers. The county law also exempts most retail outlets.

Levine's bill also is not a complete ban on plastic bags. It applies to retailers with more than 10,000 square feet and grocery stores with annual sales of more than $2 million.

For bans on plastic bags to be more effective, they need to extend beyond grocery stores. We also appreciate the desire to exempt smaller mom-and-pop retailers, and 10,000 square feet is a substantial retail operation. The goal should be to remove as many plastic bags as possible from circulation. Targeting big retailers is the way to get the most bang for the buck and a logical first step.

Levine says plastic bags hurt the environment by killing hundreds of thousands of marine fish and mammals each year. Banning more of them could reduce beach debris by 10 percent, he says.

His legislation would require stores to provide free recycled paper bags for their customers through July 30, 2016. After that, stores could charge a fee for paper bags. Marin's law requires grocery stores to charge customers for paper bags if they don't bring reusable ones.

Paper bags also are not good for the environment. They require resources to make. Finding ways to encourage shoppers to bring reusable bags is the best strategy. If grocery stores don't have to charge consumers for paper bags, and they decide not to, there will be less of an incentive for shoppers to bring their own bags.

Assembly Bill 158 isn't perfect, but it is a good start.

We hope Levine and his colleagues succeed in getting it passed and that Gov. Jerry Brown signs the bill into law.

California prides itself on being a national leader when it comes to environmental protections. This step is overdue.